Dedicated to telling the stories of the individuals who brave the streets of Vancouver every single day

May 17, 2016May 16, 2016

Back on the streets!

I’m very thankful and happy that I was able to go out this past weekend despite my injury. I could not do so without the help of my partner, who pretty much did everything while I simply limped around offering bread to whomever I thought may be in need like a merry hobbit. It had been weeks: I was so overly excited that there were a few times that he had to stop me from hopping into the streets where cars were speeding by because I was so focused on the people I was trying to reach instead of the traffic >.< With his generous help, I was able to pass out much-needed supplies to many people down in East Hastings.

My sponsor left me a bag of food the day before. When I went to pick up, a staff who was not in the section was very sweet and tossed me all the extras he could find, even the ones they haven’t marked down yet. I ended up with lots of doughnuts, croissants, pies and many kinds of sweet baked goods. My partner carried them all in one box and drove me down to the neighborhood where we gave them out to individuals on the streets in temporary camps/shelters or huddling against the walls/corners. The goods were very well received, and many called out after us before we left for Granville to thank us again.

After we finished, my partner told me his observations that people in East Hastings appeared to be more in need than the ones on Granville. He noted the discrepancies in appearance and mannerism, and told me that he suspected there are those who are exploiting our services. He then shared stories about certain individuals he encountered on the streets as he was concerned that I may be duped. Coincidentally, I was talking to a woman from the food bank recently and who also have similar grievances: Apparently, she saw two workers there who were taking supplies for personal use and was disgusted by the behavior. She is herself a person on disability support, so was particularly upset when she saw how people can take from the less privileged. I reflected to my partner how sad it is for people to do so, but that it should not deter us from believing in that more people are good. I cannot deny that that there may be people who take advantage when they see the opportunity. I myself have been cheated before and hurt by it, which is why ever since 2014 I have chosen to give only resources, not money. I explained to my partner that I rather give people the benefit of the doubt and trust that we’re helping more those who are truly in need than those who are engaging in unethical behavior. Moreover, looks can be deceiving, and I want to avoid making presumptions unless there is proof~ If people ultimately want to cheat us, we cannot avoid them all, but we can take certain steps to make sure that at the end, more real than sham needs are met. Finally, as a empiricist, I also know that research has suggested people to be more honest than not on a regular basis, so I’m keeping my optimism/morale up ^o^ My partner was dubious, but agreed, especially since he respected the fact that it’s my initiative and he has to defer to me, who “ultimately calls the shots”, lol~